Class Highlights

 

WHAT IS MASS COMM?

Before attending this class, I was very excited as I've always been curious to learn about Mass  Communication. In addition to that, my dream is to be a director, hopefully in Hollywood or media related industry, therefore it is helpful to have some knowledge about the media industry. Moreover, I come from Malaysia, therefore I'm certain that there are many things that I would find interesting and as a guidance to my future undertaking. 

3 AHA MOMENTS!!

 1) The First Amendment.

- Again, as mentioned, the First Amendment is a new law for me, as I come from a different country. It is quite interesting to discover the amount of freedom an American receive due to the First Amendment. Aside from that, there are also many controversy that I've depicted from each chapter relating the First Amendment and how it is encountered.


  2) The history of each media -History of Media (I enjoyed this video as it clearly demonstrates the transition of the different eras from ancient days)

- I've only managed to study the development of human from ancient days, but now, I'm finally aware of the different medias from back then up until today, especially its transitioning period/era. In each chapters discussing on each media, I've also been introduced to one of the finest entrepreneurs and the following generations. Aside from that, it has helped illustrate an idea of the media industry in United States up until today. 

3) The MPAA.

 - For my dream of becoming a director, this has helped make me more aware of who's in the industry and to be careful of what to produce in the upcoming future. It is often time good to be cautious about the things going around in the industry, especially if it plays an important role in one's future. Although the MPAA may not carry a very strong reputation due to their vague and unpredictable restrictions, however at the end of the day, they are the ones who calls the shot.

Media Ethics/ Media Law

WIKILEAKS, a website created by Julian Assange filled with private government documents from different countries around the world. For some, it has been a great achievement but for many, it has been criticized immensely. Wikileaks started publicizing hit news of government privacy such as the war in Afghanistan,  the Guatanamo Bay Prison, Terrorism in Saudi and many others. However the main disruption of Wikileaks is due to the released of thousands of private U.S. government documents worldwide, which is also known as the 'U.S. Cable Leaks.' This video portrays a good summary of Wikileaks' emersion. 

This issue is a good example of media law and ethics of one's Freedom of Speech and the violation of the U.S. Constitutional Rights. It has been very complicated for the U.S. government to take action on Assange, due to the Freedom of Speech. Therefore the U.S. government has decided to ban Wikileaks. One of the main concerns due to the emergence of Wikileaks is conflict against other countries. For example, in this video, it has embedded some of the criticism said amongst the U.S. government about politicians from other countries, which may not be respectful and appreciated by others. That will arise more problems and issues in uniting all countries.

In my point of view, Wikileaks seems to be helpful in order for us to retrieve information, however there should be a limit of information distributed to the public, especially if it's private government information. Aside from that, it is good to avoid publicizing Wikileaks so that, in general, it would not create hatred among countries.